This is the message that fires when a case opens. It is the first thing most clients read from you after they sign, and it sets what they expect for the next year.
When to send this
You set this. One day after the phase changes is the default worth starting from: soon enough to feel connected to what happened, and far enough back that a phase set by mistake can be corrected before anything reaches a client.
One day is right here. This is the phase where sooner is better, because a new client is paying more attention in week one than they will again for months.
If you want a second message off the same phase change, about a week later works, asking for whatever they have not sent in yet. Keep it to two. A new client already has a lot arriving.
Either way, write the standing state rather than the moment. "Your case is open" holds up whenever it lands; "we opened your case yesterday" depends on when someone updated the record.
What your client is thinking right now
They just handed their problem to strangers. Under the relief is a short list of worries they will not ask about directly: did I pick the right firm, is this going to cost me money, how long will this take, and what am I supposed to do now.
A good onboarding message answers all four without being asked.
What to cover
- That someone is on it. Write it so it holds for everyone who gets the message: "Our team has your case, and you can reach us at [phone]." See what you can personalize for the variables that fill in per client.
- That work is underway. One sentence, and resist listing what you are gathering. A client who handed over their insurance card at signing reads "we are collecting your insurance details" as proof nobody looked at it. "We have started on your case and will ask if we need anything" says the same thing without the risk.
- What you need from them. Two or three specific things, not "send us your documents."
- How to reach a human. A phone number.
- What it costs. If you work on contingency, say so plainly. Most clients are quietly worried about this and will not raise it.
Their job in this phase
Ask for the things only they have: scene photos, the other driver's insurance details, the names of any doctor they have already seen, and anything the hospital handed them on the way out. All of it goes in the app.
Be specific about where. "Add your photos in the app" beats "upload your documents," and pointing at a named screen beats both.
Sample message
Welcome to {{firm_name}}, {{client_first_name}}. Your case is open and our team has started on it.
We have started work on your case. If we need anything from you, we will ask.
Two things would help us most: add any photos you took at the scene, and add the names of any doctors you have already seen. Both go in the Quilia app.
You pay us nothing unless we win. Call [phone] any time and we will put you through to your case manager.
https://youtu.be/ryvJgeyH6ho
A shorter version
Welcome to {{firm_name}}, {{client_first_name}}. Your case is open and you can reach our team at [phone].
Please add your scene photos and the names of any doctors you have seen to the Quilia app. We will handle the rest and keep you posted.
Looking ahead
It is worth one line about what matters next, because the single biggest thing a client can do wrong happens in the next phase. Something like "the most important thing you can do over the next few months is go to every appointment your doctors recommend" costs a sentence and prevents the most common problem in the case.
What not to say
- No timeline. A number you give in week one is the number they hold you to in month nine.
- No value estimate. Not even a range, not even hedged.
- Ask them to add, not to check. The app is their own record of the case, so "add any photos you took at the scene" lands where "check the documents on your case" does not.
- Name where to call. Give a phone number and say what happens when they use it.
- No "we will aggressively pursue." It means nothing to a client and sounds like a billboard.
The video
Quilia filmed this explainer for exactly this moment, and it is free for any firm to use.
There is a Spanish cut as well: Fase de Integración. Match the video's language to the message it sits in.
To embed it, paste the link on a line by itself in the message body, with nothing else on that line. A link inside a sentence stays an ordinary link and will not play. See How to Create and Send Automated Phase Messages.
Key goals
- The client knows the firm has started work, and how to reach a person
- The client knows what to do this week
- Nothing has been promised that you cannot deliver
See also What to Share During Case Intake for the wider first-48-hours sequence, Setting Up Automated Welcome Messages, and Writing Messages Clients Actually Understand.